The Colbert Report

Social media analysis, audience segmentation and content effectiveness report after the CBS announcement that Stephen Colbert would replace David Letterman on the Late Show.

The social-media crews behind late-night competitors Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have been flooding online audiences with viral YouTube videos and nifty posts on Twitter and Facebook, each trying to grab audience attention that will translate to TV ratings. Now, the team behind The Colbert Report, itself a social-media power, will attempt to transition its audience to broadcast TV and Late Show. Deadline reached out to our pals at RelishMIX, who analyze social-media engagement for TV shows and films, for a quick look at who’s doing what right now on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The verdict? Colbert is already in good shape on Facebook and Twitter, if he can transition his fan base, but he has a lot of work to do on YouTube, where The Jimmys rule by a massive margin. “With the Fallon/Kimmel battle on YouTube, we’ll see how Colbert builds his team to compete,” said RelishMIX CEO Marc Karzen. “Is CBS betting that Colbert’s 13 million [social media] fans will move over with him? Stay tuned.”